Page 94 of The Ruby Dragon's Unconventional Mate

Bryant imagined that Samuel was gonna get as hard a talking to as Lars was going to get from him.

You’re not going give me a stern talking to, Lars said.I heard you at the school, and you’re right. Being a guardian is my job.

That’s very true. It is, and I would never ask you to be less than you are. And you were careful, so I can’t be angry, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t scared.

You did really well, Bryant. I know that you didn’t want to have to kill him. I wasn’t going to make you do that.

I have a feeling Logan and Jake would have anyway, but I love you for it.

They circled down, around, and landed at their fairy-tale house. They shrank down to their human forms, and he grabbed Lars in his arms and held him tight. Bryant buried his face against Lars’s neck and sighed. “God, I hope we never have to do anything like that again.”

“Maybe not, but we are going to have to find out who sent both of these assassins. Otherwise they’re never going to leave them alone. Lachlan or the omega.”

That was also true. “Yeah, but I bet if the omega is recovering, he can tell us.”

“Oh, Bryant, how awful. It’s his family, after all. We’ll let Lachlan figure that out.”

“We will. I don’t suppose you want to take a shower before we eat?”

Lars slipped his hand into Bryan’s. “I do. Let’s do that. Arthur doesn’t even need to know we’re home until after we get clean.”

“That sounds perfect, baby.” He needed to clean the stink of this day off and also put his hands on every inch of Lars’s body to make sure that he was well and that the baby was okay.

Lars didn’t argue with him; he just let Bryant lead him inside and up the stairs so that they could go to the shower. As soon as they were under the hot spray of water, they started touching one another, and Lars was just as desperate as Bryant was. This had been a real threat, a real attempt to break the wards, and someone had gotten hurt. He hated that, but they had, in the end, been victorious, and for now, they would celebrate that little win.

“Do you think Lachlan?—”

Bryant stopped the words with a kiss. He didn’t want to talk about Lachlan and the injured omega and baby. He just wanted to touch his mate, to love on him, and to know that everything was gonna be all right.

Lars twined both arms around his neck and held on tight, the rounded belly pressed against his side, and that was the most perfect thing ever. It was as if he could feel the baby’s heartbeat as well as Lars’s, and he knew everything was safe and well.

You’re a guardian too, Lars said in his head.You did exactly what you needed to do, and I’m very proud of you.

Thank you, love. So am I. Now hush and let me get you clean.

Lars chuckled, and they kissed again, each of them running slippery wet hands over the other’s body.

As it turned out, it was quite a while before they got downstairs to have food.

Chapter

Thirty-Two

Lars rested his head on Bryant’s shoulder, his hand on his belly.

It was cold out there today, bitterly, and he needed to have an under-the-blanket day. He’d cleaned the whole house this morning before Arthur had gotten up, so he figured he’d earned some lazy time with Bryant.

“You okay, love?” Bryant asked, kissing his head.

“I am. I feel heavy, so I’m a bit lazy. I’m so ready for spring to come.”

Bryant nodded to him. “I know. It always feels like those last few months of winter are just endless, like it’s going to stay cold and stay cold and stay cold.”

Had it been wild? A hard winter? He wasn’t sure if it had been. When Samuel had come, it had been bitter cold for days and days and days because Samuel had been so unhappy. Bryant had missed that though.

Now it was the omega, Kieran, who was unhappy. Or, if not unhappy, then very quiet. Apparently, he’d taken to his rooms in Lachlan’s house and simply refused to come out. Alban fed him. Lachlan spoke to him about once a week, and beyond that, heand the baby just stayed in a room, in dragon form, refusing to come out.

Maybe Kieran was a frost dragon.

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